Meet the ambassadors: Baroness Helene Hayman

It’s the end of our final campaign week… but we’ve still got some more treats to tide you over until Monday. Today we’ll be introducing you to Baroness Helene Hayman, one of our 18 ambassadors.

Baroness Hayman studied Law at Cambridge’s Newnham College, where she was the President of the Cambridge Union Society. After graduating, she worked for Shelter and the Social Services Department in Camden, before becoming a minister in the Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions and the Department of Health in 1997.

Until 2001, she was appointed Minister of State at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food – after which she decided to up her do-gooding even further, and become a chairman of Cancer Research UK. In 2006, she won an election to become the first Lord Speaker – a post she held until 2011. She’s represented the House of Lords on visits from Barack Obama, Pope Benedict XVI and France’s former president, Nicolas Sarkozy.

But for Helene, her (very many) achievements are not as important as her family: “Happiness is about feeling those that you love are all right.

“I have a friend who says that ‘After the day you first give birth you only ever be as happy as your unhappiest child’… and there’s a lot of truth in that.”

You can watch the rest of her contribution to the project here. And if that’s got you inspired, don’t forget that we want to hear your voice too.